1849-52-] CHRISTINAT LEAVES CAMBRIDGE. 35 



Cambridge, embarking for New Orleans. He kept his 

 own secret, and Agassiz did not know of his where- 

 abouts until more than a year later, when he learned 

 that he had passed the year at New Orleans, as pastor 

 of a Swiss church there. Agassiz, who knew the diffi- 

 culty of his family's position, urged him to finish his 

 life with his " viel ami," and when his fiancee was made 

 acquainted with the arrangement, she cordially acqui- 

 esced ; but it was all in vain. Christinat, to my great 

 surprise, recognized me one day in a church in Paris 

 early in January, 1851; he was returning to Switzer- 

 land, after a rather trying experience in Louisiana, 

 where there had been a severe epidemic of yellow 

 fever, from which he escaped almost miraculously. He 

 was reinstalled as pastor over his old parish at Mont- 

 preveyres, Canton de Vaud, in April, 1852, and died 

 there the 2Oth of February, 1855. 



Instead of being a burden in her new home, Mrs. 

 Agassiz was an invaluable addition, and a comfort to 

 all. An excellent manager of her household, she at 

 the same time undertook to act as secretary to her 

 husband, always ready for any new task. It was, 

 indeed, remarkable to see a young lady, brought up 

 in great comfort and leisure, enter a life full of respon- 

 sibilities of all kinds, even becoming an authoress in 

 order to help and please her husband. She was and is 

 still the guardian angel of Louis Agassiz and his whole 

 family of children and grandchildren ; and blessed was 

 the day for Agassiz when she stepped into his house in 

 Oxford Street. 



